John Dewey’s Democracy and Education and the Problem of ...

KRITIKE VOLUME TEN NUMBER TWO (DECEMBER 2016) 84-99

ARTICLE | Philosophy of Education

John Dewey's Democracy and Education and the Problem of

Education in the Philippines

Marella Ada V. Mancenido-Bola?os

Abstract: In this paper, I will discuss how John Dewey's philosophy of education, specifically the relationship between education and democracy, and its possible contribution to the Philippine educational system. The paper will go through the following steps: 1) discuss Dewey's critique of the traditional pedagogy, 2) discuss the role of education in the development of students, 3) discuss the role of democracy in education and lastly, discuss education in the Philippine Context.

Keywords: Dewey, democracy, education, Philippine educational system

It seems puzzling that while Dewey's book mentions democracy in its title, the book does not offer a thorough discussion of the concept of democracy. Perhaps because, as Peters claimed, "Dewey viewed democracy mainly as a way of life; he was not particularly interested in the institutional arrangements necessary to support it."1 Alongside communication, democracy is characterized by shared interests and concerns. Meanwhile, education, which Dewey describes as growth that is not to be equated with age, has to do with conditions which "ensure growth or adequacy of life."2 In Philosophy of Education, Dewey claims that "the foundation of democracy is faith in the capacities of human nature; faith in human intelligence and in the power of pooled and cooperative experience."3

1 R.S. Peters, John Dewey Reconfigured (USA: Routledge and Kegan Paul, Ltd., 1977), 66. 2 Ibid., 67. 3 John Dewey, Philosophy of Education (New Jersey: Littlefield, Adams and Co., 1975), 59.

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For him, democracy entails developing knowledge among the people until they are able to utilize it as a guide to a collective action.4

Loomis and Rodriguez5 pointed out that democracy is the final object of all curricula, from which we can understand the importance of experience in education. Dewey also discusses the idea of co-operative problem-solving. Another thing that we must take from Dewey is his belief that each student must be addressed differently. We must understand that we are not to plan a generalized method of instruction because each class consists of diverse students.

Dewey's Critique of the Traditional Pedagogy

Dewey's Democracy and Education shows how education can be used as a tool to transform not just the self but also the society. Here, Dewey outlines the importance of education in how we deal with the world in general. He suggests that each discipline must realize that there should be no separation between theory and experience and that the discipline must be reconstructed as an "enterprise aimed at personal and collective well-being."6 Dewey criticizes the traditional method of teaching as he suggests better ways of educating students, that is, by teaching them how to think and making both the teachers and students realize that learning is not a mere repetition of what are written in the textbooks. Traditional method of teaching can be understood as a method of handling down knowledge from the teacher to the students. The teacher discusses the topics leaving little room for students to think and verbalize their thoughts. Education, he says, "is a fostering, a nurturing, and a cultivating process."7 Therefore, we have to be cautious in dealing with the young, as it can be inferred that our failure to mold them well destroys not only the child but also the society. With the ills of the educational system and the society, and with rulers whose interests benefit only their own intentions, he asks, "Who, then, shall conduct education so that humanity may improve?"8

Dewey has a strong take on the reform of education. In his essay, "Education as Engineering," he notes that we have thought of education long enough, but not long enough to build steel bridges. He likens education to engineering in that it serves as a process of forming the individual. He

4 Ibid. 5 Steven Loomis and Jacob Rodriguez, "The Individual-Collective Problem in Education: The Special Cases of John Dewey and Human Capital Theory," in Oxford Review of Education, 35:4 (2009), 509-521. 6 Maughn Gregory and David Granger, "John Dewey on Philosophy and Childhood," in E&C/ Education and Culture, 28:2 (2012): 1-26. 7 John Dewey, Democracy and Education (USA: Feather Trail Press, 2009), 9. 8 Ibid., 53.

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criticizes the system, saying that it "represents not thinking but the domination of thought by the inertia of immemorial customs."9 He adds that although there are certainly new methods being introduced into the system, only a few receptive minds are benefitting from them. Those belonging to the old system and habits are critical of the new methods, which often end up unrecognized if not unfunctional. He strongly points out, "There is at present no art of educational engineering. There will not be any such art until considerable progress has been made in creating new modes of education in the home and school."10 One of the reasons why such is the case is because teachers lack the imagination and courage to design and adopt new methods. Dewey emphasizes that there is a need for educators to be scientific in their teaching. He insists, "Teachers who are to develop a new type of education need more exacting and comprehensive training in science, philosophy and history than teachers who follow conventionally safe lines."11

Dewey emphasized that "unless our schools take science in its full relation to the understanding of forces which are now shaping society and still more, how the resources of the organized intelligence that is science might be used in organized school action, and the outlook for democracy is insecure."12 During his time, he has already discussed how the narrow mindedness of teachers has destroyed the progress of education. Unless teachers become pioneers of learning, imaginative enough to place together what is known and what is to be experienced, we cannot say that our institutions of learning have advanced. He notes that what really exists in schools are "habits and customs rather than . . . any deliberate autocracy."13 Dewey has time and again emphasized the important role of educators in honing of the minds of the society; they play a delicate role in "developing the character and good judgment in the young."14

The Role of Education in the Development of Students

According to Dewey, "the business of education is rather to liberate the young from reviving and retraversing the past that could lead them to a recapitulation of it." 15 He does not disregard the past; however, he wishes to show that our education should not be limited by it and by our biological heredity. Heredity for him limits education. It anchors the student to

9 John Dewey, "Education as Engineering," in J. Curriculum Studies, 41:1 (2009), 1-5. 10 Ibid., 3. 11 Ibid. 12 Dewey, Philosophy of Education, 53. 13 Ibid., 65. 14 Ibid. 15Ibid., 42.

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something that is long gone and hinders the student from facing what is already present. Dewey suggests that we must keep the learning process alive as it is only through this that we can keep it alive in the future. The past is only significant if it intertwines with the present and the future and not the other way around. We must concern ourselves with present circumstances to be able to address the present predicaments, instead of just clinging on to the past which may no longer be significant. In education, in particular, we must be able to adapt to the present needs of the students. If educators claim that students have changed over the years, then the system must move to address the change in the attitude of the students. Another way of looking at it is that, we may be presenting the habits of the past to the children, thereby hindering them from discovering things by themselves. Teachers may be imposing many habits and values on the children that children are no longer able to build on their own.

Dewey suggests several purposes of education. First, to have a foresight of the results which stimulate the person to think and look ahead. We cannot speak of an aim unless there is an ordered process to achieve it. Dewey notes that the goal in education must be based on the present experience and conditions of the students; from there we can draw activities and theories to be used. Readymade theories and activities that seek anticipated results are not helpful because they limit learning possibilities. We must note that every aim is experimental and that there is a need to modify it whenever the situation calls for a revision. Dewey emphasizes that if it gets in the way of human common sense, then the situation does harm. "It is well to remind ourselves that education as such has no aims; only persons, parents and teachers, etc., have aims, not an abstract idea like education."16 Dewey is critical of the manner in which aims in education are formulated by authorities and then made to fit into the system. Children may not necessarily be capable of accomplishing such aims for the very reason that their experiences and background do not match the very generic and universal aim that is being posited by the system. Dewey notes, "In education, the currency of these externally imposed aims is responsible for the emphasis put upon the notion of preparation for a remote future and for rendering the work of both teacher and pupil mechanical and slavish."17 Gregory and Granger argue that "modern education has aimed to move children immediately away from their perceived irrationality."18

The second purpose that Dewey suggests is social efficiency, indicating "the importance of industrial competency."19 Education should

16 Ibid., 60 17 Ibid., 61. 18 Gregory and Granger, "John Dewey on Philosophy and Childhood," 2. 19 Dewey, Democracy and Education, 66.

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translate to employment. A man who is not able to contribute economically to the society is a drag or parasite to others.20 One should be able to make way "economically in the world and manage economic resources usefully" instead of reducing education to a mere display or luxury.21 Nevertheless, Dewey warns us of the danger of learning very specific skills because when the ways of occupation change, the individual might be left behind by progress. He also predicted that industries might eventually dictate the content of curricula. --Today institutions of higher learning have reconfigured their curricula in order to meet the demands of the industries. Industries, in some cases, have dictated to the institutions which courses to offer and which courses to close down. In a lecture given by Jonathan Kozol during the 2015 Plato conference at the University of Washington, he noted that the curriculum has been demanded by business and economics, schools actually answer to the demands of the business industry.22

Dewey notes the importance of fostering good habits of thinking. He is critical of the practice of spoon-feeding children. He emphasizes that children must learn how to think independently. The problem with the current system is that students are more concerned about meeting a particular standard or grade. They are troubled by how they are to please their teachers through their exams and deportment. As opposed to standard and grade oriented learning, Dewey proposes that students should take advantage of their various practical experiences because they are more capable of helping them during difficult life situations. Knowledge, according to Dewey, is the "working capital, the indispensable resources of further inquiry, of finding out, or learning more things."23 Dewey, however, suggests that ordinary experiences should be mediated by the school in order to them to be translated into knowledge.24 As such, he urges institutions to create an environment that is more conducive to practical learning. The creation of laboratories, shops and gardens are a means to enrich the experience and understanding of students. It must be understood that "thinking is a method of educative experience." We must provide our students with a genuine situation of experience, genuine problems developed within this situation, information to make needed observations, suggested solutions and, lastly, opportunity and occasion to test these ideas.25

20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 22 Jonathan Kozol, "The Big Questions are Already in the Hearts of Children, The Role of Philosophy in the Classroom of our Public Schools in an Age when Standardized Instruction is Crowding out the Domain of Inquiry," paper presented during the PLATO Conference, University of Washington, Seattle, 29 June 2015. 23 Dewey, Democracy and Education, 87. 24 Ibid., 88. 25 Ibid., 87.

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